1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a finder for a single-lens reflex camera, and more particularly the present invention is directed to such camera finder having a mount-in video pickup unit.
2. Related Background Art
In the art, there have been known and used remote control cameras for taking still pictures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,496 has disclosed a remote control camera provided with a remote control receiver unit responsive to an operation signal from a transmitter. When the user takes a still picture, he carries out at first the framing of a picture through the camera finder within a determined range, and then stands apart from the camera to monitor the conditions for picture-taking. The receiver unit in the camera responds to an operation signal from the transmitter to take the aimed picture in the manner of remote control.
However, the above-mentioned type of the known remote control camera has the following drawbacks:
Since the photographer can not continuously observe the image in the finder, he often fails to catch good shutter chances.
It is difficult to attain such good framing in which the object is at the most desirable position in the determined picture area.
It is unallowable for the photographer to be so far away from the camera site. This requires a great deal of patience.
In taking a picture with the above-mentioned type of the remote control camera, therefore, it has been very difficult to surely catch the shutter chances which are, of course, not many.
To solve the above problem, a monitor system for remote control camera has already been proposed. In this system, a conventional video camera is additionally mounted on a single-lens reflex camera, behind the eye-piece of the camera finder. At a position remote from the.picture-taking site (camera site) there is set a television receiver which receives a monitoring image from the video camera on the single-lens reflex camera. The photographer can perform a remote control picture-taking while observing the monitoring image on the monitor television.
This remote control camera provided with a monitoring system also has many drawbacks.
First of all, the remote control camera is heavy and large due to the video camera additionally mounted on the rear part of the camera. This renders the camera not easy to handle.
The photographer can not check the picture frame area directly through the camera finder when he wishes it, for example, at the time of setting the camera. The video camera on the rear part hinders the direct observation through the viewfinder.
Furthermore, since the single-lens reflex camera and the video camera are two separate apparatus, an additional heavy work is needed for connecting the signal lines to transmit and receive information of picture-taking between the two apparatus.